Healing process after abscess?

[sugar_plumb]

Hi everyone.
I hope someone can help me please.

pony had an abscess in March. Had vet out to said it’s an abscess. Did the tubbing & poulticeing process till it burst & healed.
Last month another abscess come in same foot. Got it to blow but wouldn’t drain properly. Had farrier out 3 weeks ago who dug it out & opened about an inch wide hole into the cavity of his foot. I kept it covered till it healed enough so no nastys could get in. After a couple of days pony became sound enough to have a walk round the yard. Yesterday he’s become foot sore again. There’s no heat that would indicate another abscess.
Am I being a bit hasty in thinking he should be fully sound by now or will it be a while longer till the hole has grown out?
Thank you for your replies in advance

 

[shortstuff99]

How old is the pony? Recurring abscess can be a cushings sign.

 

[sugar_plumb]

Hi.
Pony is 14. He was tested for cushings at the beginning of February & come back negative. He does have ems that is being controlled by weight loss

 

[shortstuff99]

To me it is likely the EMS (still poss cushings as levels would be low in Feb) is contributing to the abscesses. Might be worth a re-test or chat to the vet?

 

[ycbm]

SP which test did they use? The cheaper, easier, common one is notorious for false negatives.

If the latest heat is the abscess again, then I think it's time for some x rays to check that there isn't a more deep rooted infection somewhere like in the bone, and the more accurate Cushings test if the x ray shows nothing.
.

 

[sugar_plumb]

Hi.
Thank you so much for your replies

I’m guessing the cushings test that they did was the cheap one as I won it through them on Facebook.
He is due another blood test for his ems so will get them to retest for cushings as well.
There isn’t any heat in his hoof, sole or leg.
I have rang the vets today to have a chat with them but no call back so will try again tomorrow.
Thank you

 

[holeymoley]

I think I would x-ray too to see what’s going on inside.

 

[Birker2020]

I think I would x-ray too to see what’s going on inside.

Agree Holeymoley.

This is what I ended up doing as my horse was just as crippled after the abscess was drained to before and over a couple of days of poluticing nothing was coming out.
The abscess was nothing to do with the real problem. I suspected it was something else - I was leaning more to a fracture of the pedal bone so asked the vet to come and xray - then we sadly saw what the real problem was - advanced navicular.

A couple of x-rays (one side on and one front on with the toe dipped to the ground in my horses case) will highlight any problems. Better to have a diagnosis than go on forever wondering.

 

[AandK]

I would want to x-ray for a repeated abscess in the same foot/location. Keratoma is what springs to mind, my 8yo had one removed from his foot in November last year, although his did not show on x-ray at the start, he had an MRI. Symptoms are intermittent lameness and recurring abscesses.

 

[sugar_plumb]

Hi everyone,

just wanted to say thank you for your help.

He has had xrays & blood tests for insulin levels. Xrays come back clear, no different to the xrays he had in November last year & his insulin levels have come back at 23 where as they was 208 in February this year.

He is now nearly sound so fingers crossed he will come sound soon.
Thank you so much

 

[ycbm]

Well that's a relief, no reason why he won't be right as rain is a little while then.
.